ADVENTURES IN SIGN PAINTING WITH SAM ROBERTS The homogenisation of high streets is a well-documented, and increasingly global, phenomenon. But have you ever wondered what happens to the signs on family-run, independent shops when the chains move in? More often than not they are tossed aside as part of the corporate facelift, but if they’re lucky they might end up under a railway arch in Berlin’s Mitte neighbourhood. Located between the city’s Tiergarten park and the Spree river, this is the home of the Buchstabenmuseum (letter museum), which is on a mission to preserve the graphic history and culture that is being lost, shop by shop, in Berlin and beyond. Seizing the Initiative The Buchstabenmuseum is one of a number of initiatives across Europe that aim to rescue, collect, and preserve the lettering and typographic heritage found on shop signs of all kinds. From Lisbon’s Letreiro Galeria to Vienna’s Stadtschrift, these initiatives are typically volunteer-led and run with little or no external funding. Berlin’s Buchstabenmuseum is no exception, but in spite of these challenges, it has been active for 20 years now and boasts a public-facing exhibition space. The letters and signs at the Buchstabenmuseum were initially the private collection of graphic and brand designer Barbara Dechant. Originally from Vienna, Dechant’s fascination with letters started at an early age, notably their abstracted forms outside of what can be read. She started collecting objects of typographic interest as a teenager and, after her move to Berlin in 1996, continued to rescue letters and signs whenever she saw them discarded or being allowed to fall into disrepair. Dechant’s collection grew, and she joked with her friend Anja Schulze that they should start a museum. This quickly escalated, and in 2005 they formed a non-profit with the objective of making the artefacts more accessible to the public, and to use them for educational activities. This mission was realised three years later when the museum first opened its doors in 2008. A Neverending Mission The museum’s reception was overwhelmingly positive and, in addition to the general public, it attracted the attention of Following the gathering of signage and print professionals for FESPA Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo in Berlin, Sam Roberts looks at a different point of interest in the city. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Buchstabenmuseum preserves lettering and signage from time gone by A Final Resting Place for Letters at Berlin’s Buchstabenmuseum Sam Roberts is the editor and publisher of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine), the world's only print and online publication dedicated to sign painting. He has written numerous books and articles on the craft and its history and first became interested in the topic via the fading ‘ghost’ signs around London. SignLink subscribers can sign up with a special discount to the publication via bl.ag/signlink. Find more about Roberts and his work via: bl.ag ghostsigns.co.uk 33 www.signlink.co.uk June / July 2025 - Issue 259
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